This invention relates generally to a device which holds any basic type of golf club putter protectively in place within any type of conventional golf bag. More particularly, a holder that will accept all basic putter head designs with varying shaft lengths for any sized conventional golf bag of varying height.
The vast majority of golfers utilize a conventional golf bag that provides no damage protection for the stored club heads and little protection for the shaft and it's handle. Many conventional bags contain cross members near the bag opening to strengthen bag and to provide a method to partially segregate and arrange clubs. The woods are usually protected by the golfer with some form of cushioning material in the form of a sock. Most irons and the putter, however, are left to bunch together and as a result are subjected to damage caused by the inevitable vibration and jarring involved during golf play. The problem heretofore in protecting the putter, is caused by the wide range in diversity of designs for both bag and putter. Conventional golf bags come in varying heights, size and bag opening configurations. Most bags allow the club's handle to rest upon the bag floor which in turn can cause damage to a putter handle's butt end. While all putters have a flat surface for striking the ball, a connecting shaft and a slightly different handle, they are significantly different in their shaft lengths, thickness and configurations of putter heads in both the bladed and mallet form. Additionally, putters are manufactured in both right and left handed versions and come in slightly different "hozel" and shaft off-set designs.
A class of devises exist for protecting a set of golf clubs, that include the putter, that structurally attach to a conventional bag but do not provide the golfer the option of enhancing the storage capability of the putter alone. Prior art reveals several devices to improve upon storage of the putter. The most frequently used protective devise is a padded head cover which provides excellent protection but is inconvenient to use, has no other practical function and can be easily misplaced. Such head covers are not standardized in their application and do not lend themselves to placement of promotional advertisements. An example of a protective putter cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,611 issued to Cirone wherein elastic rubber material is enclosed around a putter head. Tucker, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,090 discloses a golf putter holder which clips on the upper lip of golf club bags that will secure a putter by it's shaft to the outer side of the bag. The primary purpose of this holder is to provide easy access and identification, and to keep the putter head segregated from damage. The disadvantage of this is that it defeats the purpose of a golf bag, exposing the putter to the elements when the bag is laid upon the ground, and has no other features to align, segregate or protect the putter when storage is required within the bag. A golf club anchor clips to the rim of a conventional bag in Carlson U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,652. It separates and holds a club in an erect position within a bag which would also align and enable arrangement of clubs but provide little protection for a putter head.
Yamazoe in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,523 reveals a putter holder that is fitted by clip means to the inside structural cross members of a conventional golf bag. A putter shaft and handle is protected within a box-shaped tube and a putter head is provided protection by a frame and cover. While this holder provides alignment, segregation and arrangement for a putter, it has the disadvantage of being applicable to only those conventional bags that have cross members and those that have two cross members of the exact width as the holders clips. Additionally, this holder has the disadvantage of being usable only when the length of any given putter shaft is compatible to the height of any given bag.
Early prior art reveals bag length golf club tubes which are an elongated thin wall tubular plastic member opened at both ends that when inserted within a conventional bag provides the ability of a user to segregate clubs and protection for the shaft and handle. One of these tubes, is in fact a holder for the putter. The tubes, however provide no protection for the club heads and may contribute to added movement of a putter head caused by a swiveling movement around the tubes' outer top edge when the bag is in motion. Maki, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,229 discloses cap bodies to mechanically reinforce the top ends of tubes with rounded edges which may only contribute further to the swiveling motion since most putters, being the shortest club, most often rests on a tube top by its' head. Additionally, tubes provide no protection for a club handle butt end as the clubs' entire weight is upon a bag floor.